Only Fins runs premium guided trips out of South Dakota's glacial lakes — but the existing site was a stock-photo template with a single Book Now button. The brand identity did not communicate the price tier or the operator's actual edge: heated mobile SnoBears, day shacks, and lakes picked for the bite.
brand · web
rebuild · before / after · may.2026
Only Fins
An ice-fishing outfitter, lifted from stock-image template to editorial brand.
// before / afterold public site on the left · new build on the right
Before
before · onlyfinssd.com
After
after · onlyfinssd-app.vercel.app
- // metric7
Lakes in active rotation
- // metric$899
Weekday rate · early-bird qualified
- // metric1
PMS workflow · Hostaway direct
// what we builtservices included on this engagement
- Brand identity
- Custom cursive wordmark
- Marketing site
- Hostaway booking integration
- Owner photography direction
- FAQ schema + SEO
Editorial wordmark with the cursive "Fins" in brand orange, real owner-led crew photography on the hero, and a homepage that opens directly into the availability checker rather than burying it behind a Book Now. Nav expanded to Ice Shacks / SnoBear Trips / Lodging / Lakes / Gallery / Guides / FAQ to match how customers actually research a guided trip.
New build live on the Vercel preview. Pricing reframed around weekday $899 with an early-bird discount. Booking flow integrated with the owner's existing Hostaway workflow so inquiries route directly into operations.
after · onlyfinssd-app.vercel.app · before · onlyfinssd.com// what makes this defensiblethe calls that earn the engagement
- /01
Availability checker on hero
Date pickers open the moment a prospect lands. The Book Now indirection that buried conversion on the old site is gone.
- /02
Custom cursive wordmark
"Only Fins" with the cursive Fins in brand orange — pulls the editorial tone the operator's price tier actually deserves.
- /03
Real crew photography
Owner-led on-ice shots replace the stock SnoBears + dramatic skies template. The brand reads as the outfit that actually runs the trip.
- /04
Seven-lake rotation, named
"The bite picks the lake" — interactive map of all seven lakes with the rotation logic explained. Sets the operator apart from one-lake guides.
- /05
SnoBear edge surfaced
Heated mobile SnoBears and day shacks named as the wedge — not buried under generic ice-fishing copy that every competitor runs.
// engagementwhat working with us looks like
- phase 01
Brand audit + photo gathering
Reviewed the existing site, pulled the operator's actual on-ice library, ran the competitive scan across midwest guided outfitters.
- phase 02
Editorial brand + wordmark
Custom cursive Fins in brand orange, editorial type system, and the photographic style guide that carries the rest of the site.
- phase 03
Site build + checker
Ice Shacks / SnoBear Trips / Lodging / Lakes / Gallery / Guides / FAQ IA, availability checker on the hero, FAQ schema and lake-rotation map.
- phase 04
Hostaway routing
Booking submissions route to the operator's existing Hostaway workspace — no inbox forwarding, no copy-paste from form to PMS.
// from the buildadditional surfaces from the live site
Lakes page — 'The bite picks the lake' with the interactive seven-lake rotation map.
// closing note
Run a guided outfit, lodging operation, or experience business? We integrate directly with the PMS you already use — Hostaway, Mews, or whichever runs your bookings. Inquiries arrive in operations, not an inbox.
// for guided outfit or experience business operators
Start your project →Run a guided outfit or experience business? This is the engagement we'd build for you next.
Same 6 services as this build — shaped to your category, your customers, and your launch window.